The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-08
MORALS OF THE RED MAN.
Criticism of the Government by the
Indian School Organ.


Criticism of the Government by the
Indian School Organ.
From Washington Letter to the Netu Yorl;
Herald.
About two weeks ago the result of the OBJ
servations of a special committee of the
United States Senate, consisting of Sena-
tors Platt of Connecticut, Cullom of
Illinois, and Blackburn of Kentucky, in re-
gard to the manner in which Indian trader
ships and other Indian matters generally
were conducted, was published. The Morn
ing Star, the organ of the Indian schools,
has this to say in reply to the semi-official
publication Of Senatorial opinion:
WISE SENATOR'S.
$50 the Senatorial committee were spec
tators at an Indian dance 1t will be noted
that the dispatch says nothing about their
having visited the Indian school at the
Usage Agency. Their visit to the dance and
omission of the school would indicate to the
Indians that the dance was the important
element of the reservation life they wished
to see. The fact that they came to criticise
and condemn will probably never reach the
Indians, who will rest under the belief that
they did the most proper thing they could to
entertain their great visitors. We do not
ing the want of progress among
the Osages. 1t would be singular
if they did make progress when they have
fifty miles square of land set apart for their
exclusive use, from which is shut out in the
most absolute manner every element of and
necessity for instruction and progress per-
tanning to our civilization except the merest
nominal showing of an agent and few en-
ployes. Commerce, except that of trader
quiring into, is prohibited. Industry, mills,
manufactures of every sort dare not enter,
railroads cannot go. Schools and churches
find no welcome outside the one agency
school. The people are all the wards of the
government, and the government has as
sumed all responsibility over them mentally,
morally and physically.
HINDERED FROM IMPROVEMENT
"By the exclusion of industrial helps, ETC.
these absolutely indispensable factors in
the elevation of all mell--the government
has indicated Enthusiastically its intention to
starve and destroy these people mentally,
morally and physically. The statement,
but to find that beings who had expert
enced the best efforts of American philan-
throphy for a score of years had made no
appreciate advance beyond the state of
their savage ancestors was an unexpected
and painful revelation shows plainly that
this committee of great men were COM
pletely blinded as to the facts. We have
known the Osages for many years, and OBJ
served their condition personally from time
to time, and feel free to say that the best
efforts of American philanthropy as illus
treted in what has gone to them, is only
paralleled in absurdity by the inquiries
and criticisms of the committee in regard
to the young men alleged to be Carlisle
graduates. Turning to our record, we find
that we have had in all at this school eighty
four Osages; that none of them stayed with
us over three years; that more than half
STAYED with us less than year. and that we
have had no Osages at the school since
Aug. II, 1885, at which time the then about
forty were ordered to Martinsburg, Pa. The
day of miracles has not yet returned, and
Indians cannot be educated and graduated
in three years any better than white
children. But the point on which we would
lay the most stress is the fact that there is
no evidence that the committee made
inquiries into the condition of the other
eighty-two, who had been at Carlisle.
THOSE HORRIBLE DANCES.
"Another singular comet-hl1e phenome-
non in connection with this subject is TO be
found in the records the daily press has
kept covering the transactions of these same
days in the worlds history. After a long
period of a most wonderful popularity and
success in this country Buffalo Bill with
100 Indians mot Osages, but kindred Sioux,
Pawnees and Cheyennes4, giving illustra-
tions of the same dances that SO terrified
this Senatorial committee, has transferred
his show from our great metropolis to the
English capital, and there we are told that
the sovereign of that empire upon which
the sun never sets visited it in state as a
patron to witness these very same Indian
dances. She keeps back blythe use of 500 police
men the popular presence in order that she
may have the sole benefit and delectation Of
gazing upon 100 naked, painted and befeath-
cred savages. The real and disgusting at
tendant evils of the Usage dance no one
would dare publish. We have reason to
know that these evils are not materially
modified in the realistic Illustrations given
by this show in New York and London, but
when they furnish entertainments and Sc
cure patronage from royalty and Senators
they certainly say to the Indians, On with
the dance, let JOY be unconaned. Thus
favored by high patronage, hell becomes
popular resort"